Station-indicator



- L. J. KRElPEL.

, STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-20. I919- 1 381,7 1 1. PatentedJune 14,1921.

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STAT-ION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-20. 19:9.

Patented June 14, 1921.

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Application filed January 20, 1919.

To all whom it mag concem:

Be it known that 1, Leo J. KREIPEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a station signaling device for railway coaches or the like.

An object of the invention is to produce a simple device of this character whereby the station next approached by a car or train will be rendered distinctly visible upon a suitable casing conspicuously arranged in the coach.

A further object of the invention is to pro duce a street or station signaling device which shall be extremely simple in construction, comprising few parts; one in which the names of the streets or stations are imprinted on one face of a curtain only and brought to displaying position in an accurate manner by mechanism for operating one of the rollers on which the curtain is wound.

A further object of the invention is to produce an indicator for streets or stations comprising a casing having a sight opening and having journaled therein, in a novel manner a roller on which an indicator curtain is wound and a second roller on which the curtain is to be wound from the first roller, spring means exerting a pressure uponthe portion of the curtain on both of the rollers to hold the same tight against said rollers while at the same time permitting the free winding thereof, said rollers having oppositely disposed ratchet or cog wheels thereon engaged by a dog provided upon an operating lever, and whereby, when the travel of the car is to be reversed, the rollers are like wise reversed with respect to their position in the casing and operated by'the lever without changing the position of the dog thereon. Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: v

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a station indicator constructed in accordance with this.

invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the door or face plate open.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1921.

Serial No. 272,086.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

F 1g. 4 is a sectional viewapproximately on the line %4t of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of an end portion of the curtain.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the roller operating means.

As disclosed by the drawings, I employ a substantially rectangular casing 10 preferably having an open outer face which is closed by a door 11. The door 11 may be in the nature of a glass panel, and is hinged to one side of the casing 10 as at 12, and latched to the other side of the casing, when in its approximately closed position, the latch or look for the door being indicated by the. numeral 13. The door, when made of glass is treated to a coating of non-transparent material from its edges to a distance away from the center thereof, so that the center provides a sight opening 1st. The top of the door has imprinted thereon the words Next stop, and a hand pointing toward the sight opening, while below the sight opening the door may have imprinted thereon other data, either in the nature of advertisements or a warning, such as Step lively, please.

Arranged in suitable boxes adjacent to the top and bottom of the casing are diametrically opposed pins, the pins on one of the sides of the casing being indicated by the numerals 15 and those on the opposite side by the numeral 16. These pins provide trunnions or short shafts for the rollers on which the curtain is wound, and the pins 16 are influenced outwardly of the boxes by springs 17. Each of the pins 16 has its inner end headed, and this headed end is contacted by the spring 17 so that the pins can not be forced entirely through the boxes.

Secured to the top and to the bottom wall of the casing 10 are flat preferably arched springs 18, arranged in spaced pairs at the said top and bottom of the casing, and these springs are designed to at all times exert a pressure against the curtain wound on the curtain rollers.

The curtain rollers are indicated by the numeral 19. Each of the rollers has its ends provided with a ratchet wheel 20 and 21 rei spectively, the teeth of the wheel 20 being arranged at an opposite inclination with retively shallow, and the pins 16 are of a greater length than the pins 15. The roller is forced to the side of the casing provlded with the pin 16, forcing the pins inward of the hollow boxes, permitting the opposite end of the roller to arrange its socket 22 opposite the pins 15. A release of pressure upon the roller will cause the spring 17'to move the same longitudinally and bring the pin 15 in the socket 22.

Each of the rollers 19 is approximately centrally formed with a transverse depression 23, and in this depression is secured a catch. The catch preferably comprises a straight inner plate 24: and an outer plate 25 secured to the plate at by a screw or similar device, indicated by the numeral 26. The plate 25 has a curved portion 27 that has an outbent lip 28. The inner plate 24 provides a bearing or wear plate for hooks or eyes 29 centrally secured on the opposite ends of the indicator curtain 30, the said eyes 29 being received between the curved portion 27 of the plate 28 and the straight plate 24;.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6, the curtain 30 has imprinted on one face thereof the names of the stations, the said names being reversely arranged, that is, all of the names of the stations are so imprinted except the starting and terminal stations. These are singly printed, but by arranging the remaining stations reversely and in a line with each other the proper stations may be indicated by simply reversing the position of the curtains in the casing without necessitating the unwinding of the curtain from one roller to the other roller.

As disclosed by the drawings, the casing is preferably provided, adjacent one of its sides with a partition'P having an elongated slot S therein, the said slot being arranged concontric with and directly above the lower roller 19.

Secured to the outer face of the partition P, and projecting through the side of the casing adjacent said face of the partition is a post 33. On the outer end of this post is journaled the operating lever 32 which is actuated by a pull cord 38. On the inner face of the lever 32 is an arm 31 that passes through arcuate slots S in the side of the casing and in the partition P. On the end of the arm 31 there is a pivoted dog 37 which overlies but which engages the teeth of the ratchet; wheel 21 at the lower right hand corner ofthe casing. The slots S are of a length to permit of a determined swinging of the lever 32, suflicient to turn the lower roller to wind the curtain thereon off of the upper roller a distance to bring the station indicated on the curtain 30 next the sight opening 14 in the casing. The movement of the lever, in such direction is limited by the contacting engagement of the arm 31 with the outer end walls of the slots S.

Between the partition P and the side of the casing on which the lever is arranged, there is a spring 36. The springSS has an angle end which is secured to the rear wall of the casing, and an outer arched end 35 which is connected directly to the arm 31. The spring is designed to return the lever and dog to their first or initial positions when the pull on the cord 38 is relieved. hen in such position, the arm 81 will contact with the opposite or rear walls of the slots S, the dog 37 having ratcheted over the wheel 21, and again arranged in a position to engage with one of the teeth of the said wheel 31. The springs 19 contacting with the part of the curtain wound on the lower roller will prevent the turning of said roller on the return movement of the lever 32 and dog 3'7. In addition to this, the pins 16 being forced in the bearings 22 of the ratchet wheels by the spring17 will also have a tendency to prevent the free turning of either of the rollers. The springs 17 and 18 also allow for the turning of the upper and lower rollers at difl'erent rates of speed incident to the enlargement of the curtain on the lower roller when the curtain is wound on said roller off of the upper roller, without permitting the sagging of the curtain on either roller.

The employment of the ratchet wheels at other than the opposite ends of the respective rollersis not essential, but as each end of the roller'is provided with the metallic sockets to receive the metallic pins 16, each roller, in the showing of the drawings, has a ratchet wheel at each end thereof. The teeth of the ratchet wheels on one of the rollers are arranged in a reverse direction with respect to the teeth on the ratchet wheelsof the second roller. By this arrangement, when'a car, in which the device is arranged, reaches its terminal, the door 11 is opened, and the dog 37 is swung out of engagement with the teeth on the ratchet wheel of the lower roller, and both rollers removed from their bearings. It is to be understood that the curtain does not entirelywind off of one. of the rollers on to the other roller. The rollers, with the curtain attached are now reversely positioned in the casing, the dog again swung into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel on the roller which is now arranged at the bottom of the casing, the door is closed and'when the lever is. operated by the pull cord the curtain will again be moved downwardly to feed the same from the upper on to the lower roller. Preferably, there is arranged onthe lever 32 a striker 39 which is designed to contact with the bell 40 to sound the same on the return of the lever after the curtain has been operated so that passengers will have their attention directed to the street or station displayed through the sight opening, at which the car will make its next stop.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

In a device of the character described, a casing having an open front closed by a door provided with a sight opening, a partition in the casing next to one of its sides, boxes having spring influenced pins project ing therethrough arranged in opposed pairs that are fixed to the inner wall of the partition and the side of the casing opposite said wall, rollers having ratchet wheels fixed on the ends thereof, the wheels on one of the rollers having their teeth pitched in a rcverse direction to the teeth of the wheels 011 the other roller, each of said wheels havinga central socket to receive the referred to opposed pairs of pins therein, a curtain attached to one of the rollers and adapted to be wound on the other roller, said curtain having a successive series of reversely arranged characters which are designed to be successively displayed through the sight opening in the casing, a lever having one end journaled on one side of the casing near the bottom thereof, an angle arm on the lever, said casing having its side and partition provided with an arcuate slot disposed above the lower roller and receiving therethrough said arm, a dog pivoted to the arm and engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel directly therebelow, a fiat spring in the partition having an arched outer end which is connected to the arm for swinging the lever and dog to one position to bring said arm in contacting engagement with the rear end walls provided by the slots, and the said arm also designed to contact with the opposite end walls of the slots when a pull is exerted on the lever, and thus limit the swinging of the lever and dog in such direction, and arched springs secured to the back of the casing and contacting with the portions of the curtain wound 011 the rollers, and the springs contacting with the curtain on the lower roller holding said curtain and roller against movement when the dog ratchets over the ratchet wheel on the said lower roller when the lever is spring influenced to initial position.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

LEO J. KREIPEL. 

